The Secret Budehuc Tea Lovers' Society
by Seta Suzume
Summary: Sasarai receives a special invitation to join an unusual club...


The Secret Budehuc Tea Lovers' Society

For Amber, by way of suikosantaredux

"Excuse me, Sir," came Dios' serious voice.

Sasarai stretched his arms and rubbed his eyes. He had only been awake for a few minutes and that time had been spent scanning the room from the warmth of his bed wondering where his clean clothes might be in the disorderliness he had managed to create in the small time he had stayed here. Dios was probably already dressed and working, sitting at the desk in the next room with an unrolled map or a stack of papers before him. What sort of business could have come up so early in the morning?

Sasarai threw up his arms, "Fine, come in."

As he had expected, Dios was dressed in his perfectly pressed uniform wit his hair combed back neatly. The curious look on his subordinate's face was, however somewhat less expected. Dios was squinting at the powder pink envelope he carried in his gloved hand. His brow was deeply furrowed and his thick blond eyebrows arched sharply downward. "This was slipped under the door. It's addressed to you, Sir," Dios explained and handed the letter over.

Sasarai also felt a bit puzzled by the letter. The enveloped was of a very fine, delicate paper and his name was written on it in red ink in an elegant cursive script. It had been sealed with a drop of red wax and the mark left in the wax was that of a blooming rose. The whole thing struck him as rather feminine. He hastily tore the envelope and slightly bend the folded paper inside as he pulled it out. Upon unfolding the flowery card, the bishop's senses were overwhelmed by the scent of roses. Dios, who looked on inquisitively, wrinkled his nose and sneezed.

Sasarai paid him no heed and simply read the short message.

"Dearest Sasarai,

Greetings. We hope we find you well. We have taken note of your cultivated manners and clear love of tea and wish to extend our invitation to you to join us for the next meeting of the Secret Budehuc Tea Lovers' Society. We will be gathering in the rose garden behind the castle at noon today. We hope to see you there.

Best Regards,

The President of the Secret Budehuc Tea Lovers' Society."

"How curious!" he exclaimed.

Dios did not inquire directly about the contents of the note, but he arched an eyebrow meaningfully.

"I'll be having tea today at noon. I'm sorry, Dios, but you'll have to make plans to have lunch with someone else." The bishop's expression slipped from calm apology to one of sly cleverness, "Perhaps this is the excuse you need to sit outside the restaurant with Yuiri..."

The taller man flushed violently and bit his lip. He turned away in an attempt to mask his embarrassment. Why did his boss have to tease him so mercilessly? ...And why did thinking of that woman have to make him feel like a schoolboy?

"I'll be going, Your Excellency," he muttered and shuffled out of the room.

"Why not take the morning off, Dios?" Sasarai suggested cheerfully. He had not expected his subordinate to take the jab so hard.

"Thank you. I think I will!" was the reply from the next room.

"It is the _Secret _Budehuc Tea Lovers' Society, after all," Sasarai thought to himself as he looked back and forth over his shoulder before turning the corner. No one seemed to be in the area. He slipped around the battered brick wall and amidst the untrimmed hedges separating the castle's grounds from the gently rolling hills and fields beyond.

"If they weren't going to hire a gardener, they could have at least planted box trees..." he thought, pausing to touch the spiky-edged leaf on one of the bushes. Perhaps the rows of bushes had previously formed a labyrinth when they had been better cared for. He stepped cautiously over broken branches obstructing the path as he headed closer to the rose bushes.

"Sasarai!" called Augustine, "How kind of you to join us!"

"Ah, um, my pleasure," the brunette replied vaguely, somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden burst of color in the midst of the tangled hedges. The rose garden was spectacular, with buds and blooms of all shades on well-groomed branches. Nearest to the entrance into this tidy area were blossoms that turned from a golden yellow to a strawberry red on their tips. Past them were roses of practically every shade of pink and red he could imagine- carnation, magenta, cherry, crimson, coral, fuchsia, raspberry, blush, and vermillion. Tiny white buds spilled forth into fountains of petals white as whipped cream and puffy summer clouds. The ivory and pastel pink flowers near Salome's chair reminded him of a certain kind of cookie an acquaintance of his always served at her parties.

The air was thick with their sweet scent, mixed with the fragrance of several kinds of tea. "This must be what heaven smells like," he gasped.

Augustine laughed softly behind a well-manicured hand, "You really are one of us."

"Please have a seat," Gordon said, gesturing toward the forth chair at their table.

Sasarai sat down and smiled at the tea club's three members. It was rather strange, but he was somewhat flattered to have been invited. Augustine and Gordon were to be expected, but Salome seemed more of an unusual choice. "You like tea as well?" he asked the knight.

"Indeed," the blond man answered, "I need to do something to relax. I am happy to work so hard for my country and for Lady Chris, but I find it rather stressful at times."

"That's understandable," the bishop agreed.

Augustine sashayed over to his seat and sat down, crossing his legs. "As president of this society, I must say that we are really very glad to have you here, Sasarai. We hope you will join us as a permanent member."

"Is there anything I'm required to do to join?" Sasarai asked.

"Simply donate a box of tea a month to our group and join us at our meetings," Augustine explained and stroked his mustache, "That's all there is to it."

"I'd be happy to join then," he replied, his smile widening, "It will be an excellent chance to enjoy some exotic tea and some refined company. Dios will drink tea with me, but I just don't think he understands the deeper nature of it."

"That's a shame," Gordon sighed, shaking his head, "But the true nature of this simple drink eludes many. My wife never understood tea and I fear that my daughter may never come to know its pleasures as long as she lives with that woman."

Augustine lifted the white porcelain teapot in a dainty hand and began to pour a steaming cupful of water into each of the matching teacups. Sasarai took his from its saucer and examined the delicately painted trim of irises and daffodils on its edge.

"This is my set," Salome explained, "My wife bought them for me as an anniversary present."

"They're lovely," the Harmonian noted, "She has good taste."

"If you like floral designs, you should see Augustine's," Gordon added, dunking a tea bag into his cup, "He has pink teacups shaped like roses and a set from Falena painted with the most detailed sunflowers you've ever seen- you can count each seed in their centers!"

"You collect tea sets?" Sasarai wondered curiously, "I never thought of that."

"Ah, yes," Augustine explained, "I have sought out especially exquisite and artistic tea sets for years ever since I became acquainted with a woman named Esmeralda in Toran. I was awed by the fine dishes in her china cabinet and vowed that day to make collecting tea sets an integral part of my search for beauty."

Salome chuckled as he used a tiny pair of tongs to drop a sugar cube into his tea. It was hard to take some of Augustine's stories seriously. However, Sasarai nodded attentively, "That's very interesting! I'll have to go into the markets of Crystal Valley with my staff and comb the city for a nice Harmonian set for you the next time I am home. And perhaps I'll look into collecting some myself as well."

Augustine thanked him profusely and sipped his tea. Sasarai, realizing he had been neglecting his own cup while he listened to the tale, pulled a tea bag from the box and steeped it in his cup. The picked up the small box and read the intricate label. "Fatyl's Best," it proclaimed in curving, golden letters, "Green tea proudly plucked, dried, and ground in Harmonia's _Nienasun_ Region."

"I didn't know they grew tea in Fatyl..." he murmured to himself, making a mental note to ask his colleagues from that region about it when next they met.

As they savored their drinks and some vanilla cookies Augustine had baked for the occasion, talk rambled from their favorite varieties of tea (jasmine for Sasarai, white for Gordon, red orchid tea from the Island Nations for Augustine, and plain green tea for Salome) to whether or not it would be possible to convince Lady Chris to join the tea club (Salome's answer- "No."), to where Augustine had bought his fabulous outfit (he had tailored it himself). Gordon produced a platter of cucumber sandwiches from a basket and the pleasant outing continued.

Sasarai felt as though he were really doing a topnotch job of fitting in at Budehuc.

"Do any of the Grasslands' tribes drink tea?" he asked Salome.

"Not that I'm aware of," the knight answered.

"What a pity," Sasarai sighed, "It might have been a very nice bit of common ground to establish a more lasting peace upon. If only things could be so simple..."

By the time Sasarai rejoined Dios that afternoon, the small bishop was feeling contented and cheerful. He encouraged Dios to finish up his report on the tactics they had observed the Karaya Clan utilize and take the rest of the day off. Dios, not wanting to pass up yet another sudden bit of good fortune, did not question his superior and hurried to draw a few last diagrams and head off.

Sasarai scurried off to find Nash, who was flirting loudly in the hall with Yumi. Not bothering to admonish the spy for neglecting to consider his wife, Sasarai tugged Nash away to give him instructions. "I have a job for you," he said seriously and handed his agent a pouch that clinked with the sound of coins inside, "Use this to buy a box of "Casimari Eteria Company Marigold and Jasmine Tea" and bring it back to me by next week."

Nash accepted the pouch, but looked slightly puzzled, "Lord Sasarai, they only sell that brand back in Harmonia."

The bishop smiled angelically, "That's why I need you to go back home and pick some up for me. If you need any help finding the right kind you can ask Lena or another member of my staff."

"Yessir," he said, trying to hold in the sigh he felt inside.

Sasarai was happy to be a permanent member of the Secret Budehuc Tea Society.


End file.
